Doctor Who Revival Series Watching Guide

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This page is intended for anyone interested in watching the Doctor Who revival series which began in 2005. If you are just getting into Doctor Who and are curious about the classic series (1963-1996), I highly recommend starting with the revival series, and then exploring the classic series later once you're invested. The classic series has a slow pace which was ordinary for British dramas of the era but likely to be a turn-off for modern viewers, and therefore works a lot better if you watch it when you're already interested. The revival series, while being in the same continuity as the classic series, was written under the assumption that most of the audience would be too young to remember it, so it is written such that anyone can understand it without any prior knowledge.

This page ignores any non-TV media such as books, games, audio plays, and DVD extras, but it does include TV spinoffs, as these have an occasional effect on the main show.

The format of the page is a flowchart showing which series "depend" on previous ones - in short, if you've watched all prior series that point to the one you're planning to watch, you won't have missed any appearances by characters featured in it. For example, whenever the Doctor appears in The Sarah Jane Adventures, the relevant series of SJA is listed as a dependency for the next series of Doctor Who chronologically. (In other words, follow the arrows downwards!)

See the key to the right for how this page denotes various kinds of episodes. Note that, in general, special episodes are essential to understanding the ongoing plot. Mini episodes are generally not essential but are included here for completeness.

Key:
EP Regular Episode Broadcast Date
EP Two-Part Episode: Part 1 Broadcast Date
Two-Part Episode: Part 2 Broadcast Date
SP Special Episode Broadcast Date
MN Mini Episode Broadcast Date

Some things here are certainly based on personal opinion, such as which episodes count as part of multi-part stories, which mini-episodes to include, or who counts as a starring role in any particular season. However, if anything here is genuinely wrong or inconsistent, please contact me at thousandthdoctor@gmail.com.

Content warnings for individual episodes are not given here, but be aware that almost all episodes of all shows covered here contain violence and death, and Torchwood and Class additionally contain some sexual content and strong language.

(continues from classic series)

Doctor Who: Series 1

Starring
Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor
Billie Piper as Rose Tyler

Beginning of Russell T. Davies' tenure as showrunner

EP Rose 26 March 2005
EP The End of the World 2 April 2005
EP The Unquiet Dead 9 April 2005
EP Aliens of London 16 April 2005
World War Three 23 April 2005
EP Dalek 30 April 2005
EP The Long Game 7 May 2005
EP Father's Day 14 May 2005
EP The Empty Child 21 May 2005
The Doctor Dances 28 May 2005
EP Boom Town 4 June 2005
EP Bad Wolf 11 June 2005
The Parting of the Ways 18 June 2005

Doctor Who: Series 2

Starring
David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor
Billie Piper as Rose Tyler

MN Children in Need Special (Born Again) 18 November 2005
SP The Christmas Invasion 25 December 2005
EP New Earth 15 April 2006
EP Tooth and Claw 22 April 2006
EP School Reunion 29 April 2006
EP The Girl in the Fireplace 6 May 2006
EP Rise of the Cybermen 13 May 2006
The Age of Steel 20 May 2006
EP The Idiot's Lantern 27 May 2006
EP The Impossible Planet 3 June 2006
The Satan Pit 10 June 2006
EP Love & Monsters 17 June 2006
EP Fear Her 24 June 2006
EP Army of Ghosts 1 July 2006
Doomsday 8 July 2006
←→

Torchwood: Series 1

Starring
John Barrowman as Jack Harkness
Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper
Burn Gorman as Owen Harper
Naoko Mori as Toshiko Sato
Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto Jones

EP Everything Changes 22 October 2006
EP Day One 22 October 2006
EP Ghost Machine 29 October 2006
EP Cyberwoman 5 November 2006
EP Small Worlds 12 November 2006
EP Countrycide 19 November 2006
EP Greeks Bearing Gifts 26 November 2006
EP They Keep Killing Suzie 3 December 2006
EP Random Shoes 10 December 2006
EP Out of Time 17 December 2006
EP Combat 24 December 2006
EP Captain Jack Harkness 1 January 2007
EP End of Days 1 January 2007

Doctor Who: Series 3

Starring
David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor
Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones

SP The Runaway Bride 25 December 2006
EP Smith and Jones 31 March 2007
EP The Shakespeare Code 7 April 2007
EP Gridlock 14 April 2007
EP Daleks in Manhattan 21 April 2007
Evolution of the Daleks 28 April 2007
EP The Lazarus Experiment 5 May 2007
EP 42 19 May 2007
EP Human Nature 26 May 2007
The Family of Blood 2 June 2007
EP Blink 9 June 2007
SP The Infinite Quest
(series of animated shorts later re-edited into a complete episode)
2 April - 29 June 2007
EP Utopia 16 June 2007
The Sound of Drums 23 June 2007
Last of the Time Lords 30 June 2007

The Sarah Jane Adventures: Series 1

Starring
Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith
Yasmin Paige as Maria Jackson
Tommy Knight as Luke Smith
Daniel Anthony as Clyde Langer
Alexander Armstrong as Mr Smith

SP Invasion of the Bane 1 January 2007
EP Revenge of the Slitheen: Part One 24 September 2007
Revenge of the Slitheen: Part Two 1 October 2007
EP Eye of the Gorgon: Part One 1 October 2007
Eye of the Gorgon: Part Two 8 October 2007
EP Warriors of Kudlak: Part One 15 October 2007
Warriors of Kudlak: Part Two 22 October 2007
EP Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?: Part One 29 October 2007
Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?: Part Two 5 November 2007
EP The Lost Boy: Part One 12 November 2007
The Lost Boy: Part Two 19 November 2007

Torchwood: Series 2

Starring
John Barrowman as Jack Harkness
Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper
Burn Gorman as Owen Harper
Naoko Mori as Toshiko Sato
Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto Jones

EP Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang 6 January 2008
EP Sleeper 23 January 2008
EP To the Last Man 30 January 2008
EP Meat 6 February 2008
EP Adam 13 February 2008
EP Reset 13 February 2008
EP Dead Man Walking 20 February 2008
EP A Day in the Death 27 February 2008
EP Something Borrowed 5 March 2008
EP From Out of the Rain 12 March 2008
EP Adrift 19 March 2008
EP Fragments 21 March 2008
EP Exit Wounds 4 April 2008

Doctor Who: Series 4

Starring
David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor
Catherine Tate as Donna Noble

MN Time Crash 16 November 2007
SP Voyage of the Damned 25 December 2007
EP Partners in Crime 5 April 2008
EP The Fires of Pompeii 12 April 2008
EP Planet of the Ood 19 April 2008
EP The Sontaran Stratagem 26 April 2008
The Poison Sky 3 May 2008
EP The Doctor's Daughter 10 May 2008
EP The Unicorn and the Wasp 17 May 2008
EP Silence in the Library 31 May 2008
Forest of the Dead 7 June 2008
EP Midnight 14 June 2008
EP Turn Left 21 June 2008
EP The Stolen Earth 28 June 2008
Journey's End 5 July 2008
←↓→

Doctor Who: Tenth Doctor specials I

Starring
David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor

SP The Next Doctor 25 December 2008
SP Planet of the Dead 11 April 2009

The Sarah Jane Adventures: Series 2

Starring
Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith
Tommy Knight as Luke Smith
Daniel Anthony as Clyde Langer
Anjli Mohindra as Rani Chandra
Alexander Armstrong as Mr Smith

EP The Last Sontaran: Part One 29 September 2008
The Last Sontaran: Part Two 6 October 2008
EP The Day of the Clown: Part One 6 October 2008
The Day of the Clown: Part Two 13 October 2008
EP Secrets of the Stars: Part One 20 October 2008
Secrets of the Stars: Part Two 27 October 2008
EP The Mark of the Berserker: Part One 3 November 2008
The Mark of the Berserker: Part Two 10 November 2008
EP The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith: Part One 17 November 2008
The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith: Part Two 24 November 2008
EP Enemy of the Bane: Part One 1 December 2008
Enemy of the Bane: Part Two 8 December 2008
MN From Raxacoricofallapatorius with Love 13 March 2009

Torchwood: Children of Earth

Starring
John Barrowman as Jack Harkness
Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper
Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto Jones
Kai Owen as Rhys Williams
Cush Jumbo as Lois Habiba

EP Children of Earth: Day One 6 July 2009
Children of Earth: Day Two 7 July 2009
Children of Earth: Day Three 8 July 2009
Children of Earth: Day Four 9 July 2009
Children of Earth: Day Five 10 July 2009

The Sarah Jane Adventures: Series 3

Starring
Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith
Tommy Knight as Luke Smith
Daniel Anthony as Clyde Langer
Anjli Mohindra as Rani Chandra
Alexander Armstrong as Mr Smith

EP Prisoner of the Judoon: Part One 15 October 2009
Prisoner of the Judoon: Part Two 16 October 2009
EP The Mad Woman in the Attic: Part One 22 October 2009
The Mad Woman in the Attic: Part Two 23 October 2009
EP The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith: Part One 29 October 2009
The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith: Part Two 30 October 2009
EP The Eternity Trap: Part One 5 November 2009
The Eternity Trap: Part Two 6 November 2009
EP Mona Lisa's Revenge: Part One 12 November 2009
Mona Lisa's Revenge: Part Two 13 November 2009
EP The Gift: Part One 19 November 2009
The Gift: Part Two 20 November 2009

Doctor Who: Tenth Doctor specials II

Starring
David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor

End of Russell T. Davies' tenure as showrunner

SP The Waters of Mars 15 November 2009
SP Dreamland
(series of animated shorts later re-edited into a complete episode)
21-26 November 2009
SP The End of Time: Part One 25 December 2009
The End of Time: Part Two 1 January 2010
←→

Doctor Who: Series 5

Starring
Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor
Karen Gillan as Amy Pond

Beginning of Steven Moffat's tenure as showrunner

EP The Eleventh Hour 3 April 2010
EP The Beast Below 10 April 2010
EP Victory of the Daleks 17 April 2010
EP The Time of Angels 24 April 2010
Flesh and Stone 1 May 2010
EP The Vampires of Venice 8 May 2010
EP Amy's Choice 15 May 2010
EP The Hungry Earth 22 May 2010
Cold Blood 29 May 2010
EP Vincent and the Doctor 5 June 2010
EP The Lodger 12 June 2010
EP The Pandorica Opens 19 June 2010
The Big Bang 26 June 2010

The Sarah Jane Adventures: Series 4

Starring
Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith
Daniel Anthony as Clyde Langer
Anjli Mohindra as Rani Chandra
Alexander Armstrong as Mr Smith

EP The Nightmare Man: Part One 11 October 2010
The Nightmare Man: Part Two 12 October 2010
EP The Vault of Secrets: Part One 18 October 2010
The Vault of Secrets: Part Two 19 October 2010
EP Death of the Doctor: Part One 25 October 2010
Death of the Doctor: Part Two 26 October 2010
EP The Empty Planet: Part One 1 November 2010
The Empty Planet: Part Two 2 November 2010
EP Lost in Time: Part One 8 November 2010
Lost in Time: Part Two 9 November 2010
EP Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith: Part One 15 November 2010
Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith: Part Two 16 November 2010
←↓

Torchwood: Miracle Day

Starring
John Barrowman as Jack Harkness
Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper
Kai Owen as Rhys Williams
Mekhi Phifer as Rex Matheson
Alexa Havins as Esther Drummond

EP The New World 8 July 2011
Rendition 15 July 2011
Dead of Night 22 July 2011
Escape to LA 29 July 2011
The Categories of Life 5 August 2011
The Middle Men 12 August 2011
Immortal Sins 19 August 2011
End of the Road 26 August 2011
The Gathering 2 September 2011
The Blood Line 9 September 2011

Torchwood was cancelled at this point, with the cliffhanger left unresolved.

Doctor Who: Series 6

Starring
Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor
Karen Gillan as Amy Pond
Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams

SP A Christmas Carol 25 December 2010
MN Space 18 March 2011
Time 18 March 2011
EP The Impossible Astronaut 23 April 2011
Day of the Moon 30 April 2011
EP The Curse of the Black Spot 7 May 2011
EP The Doctor's Wife 14 May 2011
EP The Rebel Flesh 21 May 2011
The Almost People 28 May 2011
EP A Good Man Goes to War 4 June 2011
EP Let's Kill Hitler 27 August 2011
EP Night Terrors 3 September 2011
EP The Girl Who Waited 10 September 2011
EP The God Complex 17 September 2011
EP Closing Time 24 September 2011
EP The Wedding of River Song 1 October 2011
MN Death Is the Only Answer 1 October 2011

The Sarah Jane Adventures: Series 5

Starring
Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith
Daniel Anthony as Clyde Langer
Anjli Mohindra as Rani Chandra
Sinead Michael as Sky Smith
Alexander Armstrong as Mr Smith

EP Sky: Part One 3 October 2011
Sky: Part Two 4 October 2011
EP The Curse of Clyde Langer: Part One 10 October 2011
The Curse of Clyde Langer: Part Two 11 October 2011
EP The Man Who Never Was: Part One 17 October 2011
The Man Who Never Was: Part Two 18 October 2011

The Sarah Jane Adventures was cancelled at this point due to the death of Elisabeth Sladen.

Doctor Who: Series 7

Starring
Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor
Karen Gillan as Amy Pond
Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams
Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald

SP The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe 25 December 2011
MN Good as Gold 24 May 2012
MN Pond Life
(series of shorts)
27-31 August 2012
EP Asylum of the Daleks 1 September 2012
EP Dinosaurs on a Spaceship 8 September 2012
EP A Town Called Mercy 15 September 2012
EP The Power of Three 22 September 2012
EP The Angels Take Manhattan 29 September 2012
MN The Great Detective 16 November 2012
SP The Snowmen 25 December 2012
EP The Bells of Saint John 30 March 2013
EP The Rings of Akhaten 6 April 2013
EP Cold War 13 April 2013
EP Hide 20 April 2013
EP Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS 27 April 2013
EP The Crimson Horror 4 May 2013
EP Nightmare in Silver 11 May 2013
EP The Name of the Doctor 18 May 2013

Doctor Who: Eleventh Doctor specials

Starring
Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor
Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald

MN The Night of the Doctor 14 November 2013
MN The Last Day 20 November 2013
SP The Day of the Doctor 23 November 2013
SP The Time of the Doctor 25 December 2013

Doctor Who: Series 8

Starring
Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor
Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald

EP Deep Breath 23 August 2014
EP Into the Dalek 30 August 2014
EP Robot of Sherwood 6 September 2014
EP Listen 13 September 2014
EP Time Heist 20 September 2014
EP The Caretaker 27 September 2014
EP Kill the Moon 4 October 2014
EP Mummy on the Orient Express 11 October 2014
EP Flatline 18 October 2014
EP In the Forest of the Night 25 October 2014
EP Dark Water 1 November 2014
Death in Heaven 8 November 2014

Doctor Who: Series 9

Starring
Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor
Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald

SP Last Christmas 25 December 2014
MN Prologue 11 September 2015
MN The Doctor's Meditation 15 September 2015
EP The Magician's Apprentice 19 September 2015
The Witch's Familiar 26 September 2015
EP Under the Lake 3 October 2015
Before the Flood 10 October 2015
EP The Girl Who Died 17 October 2015
EP The Woman Who Lived 24 October 2015
EP The Zygon Invasion 31 October 2015
The Zygon Inversion 7 November 2015
EP Sleep No More 14 November 2015
EP Face the Raven 21 November 2015
EP Heaven Sent 28 November 2015
Hell Bent 5 December 2015
SP The Husbands of River Song 25 December 2015

Class: Series 1

Starring
Greg Austin as Charlie Smith
Sophie Hopkins as April MacLean
Fady Elsayed as Ram Singh
Vivian Oparah as Tanya Adeola
Katherine Kelly as Miss Quill
Jordan Renzo as Matteusz Andrzejewski

EP For Tonight We Might Die 22 October 2016
EP The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo 22 October 2016
EP Nightvisiting 29 October 2016
EP Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart 5 November 2016
Brave-ish Heart 12 November 2016
EP Detained 19 November 2016
EP The Metaphysical Engine, or What Quill Did 26 November 2016
EP The Lost 3 December 2016

Class was cancelled at this point, with the cliffhanger left unresolved.

Doctor Who: Series 10

Starring
Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor
Pearl Mackie as Bill Potts
Matt Lucas as Nardole

End of Steven Moffat's tenure as showrunner

SP The Return of Doctor Mysterio 25 December 2016
EP The Pilot 15 April 2017
EP Smile 22 April 2017
EP Thin Ice 29 April 2017
EP Knock Knock 6 May 2017
EP Oxygen 13 May 2017
EP Extremis 20 May 2017
EP The Pyramid at the End of the World 27 May 2017
EP The Lie of the Land 3 June 2017
EP Empress of Mars 10 June 2017
EP The Eaters of Light 17 June 2017
EP World Enough and Time 24 June 2017
The Doctor Falls 1 July 2017
SP Twice Upon a Time 25 December 2017

Doctor Who: Series 11

Starring
Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor
Bradley Walsh as Graham O'Brien
Tosin Cole as Ryan Sinclair
Mandip Gill as Yasmin Khan

Beginning of Chris Chibnall's tenure as showrunner

EP The Woman Who Fell to Earth 7 October 2018
EP The Ghost Monument 14 October 2018
EP Rosa 21 October 2018
EP Arachnids in the UK 28 October 2018
EP The Tsuranga Conundrum 4 November 2018
EP Demons of the Punjab 11 November 2018
EP Kerblam! 18 November 2018
EP The Witchfinders 25 November 2018
EP It Takes You Away 2 December 2018
EP The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos 9 December 2018
SP Resolution 1 January 2019

Doctor Who: Series 12

Starring
Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor
Bradley Walsh as Graham O'Brien
Tosin Cole as Ryan Sinclair
Mandip Gill as Yasmin Khan

EP Spyfall: Part One 1 January 2020
Spyfall: Part Two 5 January 2020
EP Orphan 55 12 January 2020
EP Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror 19 January 2020
EP Fugitive of the Judoon 26 January 2020
EP Praxeus 2 February 2020
EP Can You Hear Me? 9 February 2020
EP The Haunting of Villa Diodati 16 February 2020
EP Ascension of the Cybermen 23 February 2020
The Timeless Children 1 March 2020
SP Revolution of the Daleks 1 January 2021

Doctor Who: Series 13

Starring
Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor
Mandip Gill as Yasmin Khan
John Bishop as Dan Lewis

End of Chris Chibnall's tenure as showrunner

EP Flux: Chapter One: The Halloween Apocalypse 31 October 2021
Flux: Chapter Two: War of the Sontarans 7 November 2021
Flux: Chapter Three: Once, Upon Time 14 November 2021
Flux: Chapter Four: Village of the Angels 21 November 2021
Flux: Chapter Five: Survivors of the Flux 28 November 2021
Flux: Chapter Six: The Vanquishers 5 December 2021
SP Eve of the Daleks 1 January 2022
SP Legend of the Sea Devils 17 April 2022
SP The Power of the Doctor 23 October 2022

Doctor Who: Fourteenth Doctor specials

Starring
David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor
Catherine Tate as Donna Noble

Beginning of Russell T. Davies' second tenure as showrunner

MN Children in Need Special (Destination: Skaro) 17 November 2023
SP The Star Beast 25 November 2023
SP Wild Blue Yonder 2 December 2023
SP The Giggle 9 December 2023

Doctor Who: Series 14

Starring
Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor
Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday

SP The Church on Ruby Road 25 December 2023
EP Space Babies 11 May 2024
EP The Devil's Chord 11 May 2024
EP Boom 18 May 2024
EP 73 Yards 25 May 2024
EP Dot and Bubble 1 June 2024
EP Rogue 8 June 2024
EP The Legend of Ruby Sunday 15 June 2024
Empire of Death 22 June 2024
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